Organ pipe



9 H. WILLIS Aug. 7, 1934.

ORGAN PIPE Filed Feb. 1, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Henry Willis 9 M/ ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 7, 1934 uNi'rs STATES? ORGAN PIPE Henry Willis, London, England Application February 1, 1933,:SeriaLNO; 654,701 In'Great Britain January 16, 1933 1 Claim:

This invention relates to organ pipes and provides an attachment to be carried. on the tuning slide of an organ pipe, operating tostabilize the speaking of the pipe and enabling the power to be altered within a wide range without adversely afiecting the sound thereby-allowing a high power and development of tone to beobtained. The attachment can be provided in various forms whereby the 'tone of thepipe can 10 bevaried andnew, varieties of tone can be obtained. i I I According to the said invention an attach.- ment in the form of a sleeve, of cylindrical, conical, rectangular or other convenient shape,

is mounted concentrically or eccentricall'y; onthe tuning slide and may be adjustable thereon axixally or made integral therewith or securely fixed thereto, so that these parts move together when the position of the tuning slide is altered.

This sleeve is preferably of larger diameter or cross sectional area than the tuning slide and arranged to extend beyond the end of the said slide, or, if desired, it may be arranged partly within the tuning slide.

In the case of a cylindrical attachment or sleeve, the diameter of the sleeve may advantageously be made approximately about one quarter larger than the diameter of the tuning slide to which it is fitted, and the length of the sleeve somay be approximately double the diameter of the top of the pipe carrying the tuning slide, the sleeve being level with or extending beyond the top of the tuning slide, for example, to a distance equivalent, approximately, to the diameter of the saidpipe, according to the result desired.

In the accompanying drawings which show how the said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice:

Figure 1 shows a cylindrical organ pipe with a tuning slide at its upper end fitted with an attachment or sleeve in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 shows a plan thereof.

Figure 3 shows the said organ pipe in transverse section immediately above an attachment or sleeve provided near to the tongue of the pipe.

Figures l and 5 are'respectively a perspective view of the upper part of a rectangular orgain pipe fitted with an attachment or sleeve in accordance with this invention, and a transverse sectional plan thereof.

Figures 6 and 7 are views similar to Figures 4 and 5 illustrating a modification.

Figures 8 to 21 illustrate further modifications hereinafter referred to.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Asshown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, a is an organ pipe fitted with a tuning slide b mounted (Cl. S t -349).

on the upper end of the organ pipe to project bey-ondthe end thereof, or to partially cover a slot, in the usual manner for tuning purposes, and having a concentrically arranged sleeve 0 mounted thereonby means of radial webs d. The sleeve c may be supported eccentrically by a suitable arrangement of the webs d. ihe webs d maybe fitted so that their inner ends grip the tuning slide and the relative position of slide and sleeve can be adjusted axially and after adjustment can be secured in the desired position by soldering orthe like; When the sleeve iseccentric to the slide it may be arranged inactual contact with the said slide.

The sleeve 0 may be used alone as an'adjunct to anorgan pipe or to-the tuning slide of an organ pipe, but in some cases a sleeve e may also be provided around the lower part of the pipe adjacent to the lip f. In Figure 3 the sleeve e is shown in actual contact with the pipe a and the front of the ears g.

Organ pipes a of rectangular cross section may be provided as shown in Figures 4 to 7 with sleeves c of corresponding shape supported on the tuning slide 1) by webs d with a uniform spacing on all sides, as in Figures 4 and 5, or displaced to one side as shown in Figures 6 and '7.

The shape of the sleeve 0 can be varied, for example, as in Figures 8 and 9 it may be a truncated cone, or a truncated double cone as in Figure 10, or combinations of cylindrical and conical surfaces as in Figures 11 to 14.

In the case of tapered pipes the sleeves may be conical or cylindrical, for example, as shown in Figures 15 to 1'1, and the said sleeves may also be provided on the tuning slides of bent pipes as shown in Figures 18 and 19.

As a further example, as shown in Figures 20 and 21, a sleeve 0 may be mounted within a tuning slide in a part thereof beyond the end of the pipe. The position of the sleeve can however obviously be altered so that a part thereof is within the end of the pipe. While the said attachment is especially advantageous for use with high pressure open fiue pipes of high harmonic development, such as strings or high pressure diapasons, its use is markedly beneficial in connection with all open flue pipes, and also in connection with reed pipes, suitably adapted, for similar purposes as when used with flue pipes.

When the attachment is applied to the tuning slide of a flue pipe the latter can be voiced in the normal manner and cut down to length so that without either slide or the attachment or sleeve it speaks a note approximately half a semitone sharper than that it will be required to speak, the fitting of the tuning slide and attachment flattening the pitch to the desired point.

The efiect of the fitting of the said sleeve to the tuning slide is not only to intensify the tone of the pipe to an extent which increases in proportion the more powerfully the pipe is voiced but also stabilizes its speech much in the same manner, but to a greater extent, that a beard or roller fitted at the mouth stabilizes speech by allowing a high harmonic development without overblowing. The sleeve can be used in combination with a beard or roller. The use of the sleeve alone stabilizes the speech of the pipe to an extent permitting a wide range of wind pressures to be used retaining good speech. For instance a viol or string toned pipe may be voiced on normal lines on 7 inch wind pressure. On fitting the device the wind pressure can be reduced to 5 inches or increased to 10 inches, according to the exact power and intensity required, good speech being retained. The device when properly fitted to any open flue pipe, will enable its power to be increased to a considerable degree without impairing its speech, thus being of high value in the regulation and finishing of organs when the power of stops of pipes has to be adjusted tosuittheconditionsof the building. The sleeve in operation does not interfere with the vibration air column but stimulates the vibratory motions in the pipe-body and compensates for losses that otherwise take place. Thevibrating air column, instead of being suddenly dispersed on meeting the atmosphere outside the pipe, is preserved in its proper shape at the pipe end section, thus giving increased efficiency of output, greater stability, and greater sensibility to excitation to the air-column resulting in more perfect articulation than possible hitherto.

' By adjusting the position of the device in relation to the pipe end section it is possible to vary the relative values of the fundamental and harmonies. A pipe can be given a reinforced fundamental, be amplified in normal harmonic proportion or have the upper partials intensified, the fundamental remaining normal.

Reed pipes are somewhat differently affected by the device, the effect being chiefly to amplify and to reinforce the fundamental.

The attachment or sleeve, as above indicated, can be made in various shapes, the same general principle obtaining, and the tonality of pipes being altered and varied accordingly. When using cone-shaped or inverted cone shaped sleeves, the distance of the lower portion or the sleeve from the tuning slide can be varied as well as the length extending beyond the tuning slide, according to the size, length and angle of the cone.

I claim:

An organ pipe having in combination therewith a tuning slide on the open end of the pipe, an open ended sleeve, means for holding the same spaced apart from the organ pipe at the open end section thereof, and a second sleeve spaced apart from the organ pipe adjacent to the lip of the pipe.

HENRY WILLIS. 

